Following the process of collecting, testing and storing samples at a Red Cross blood drive at The Shops ar Ithaca Mall

If you could save three people's lives in about 45 minutes, would you do it? Even if it hurts a little bit?

Laura Hayduchok sat down in the storefront at the mall and quickly read through the donor information. Then she was ready.

“I started giving blood when I was 16,” she said. “I think I’ve given about 14 pints so far. I try to give three times a year, if I can. Sometimes I get turned away when the iron in my blood is too low."

Laura is a software engineer who decided to live in Lansing once she graduated from Cornell in 2013 with a degree in computer science and mechanical engineering. She rents a room in the country and works at home writing software that captures images of remittances and prepares them for processing.

“It doesn’t take all that much time and it’s a way to give back,” Laura said. “I do it because it’s something nice I can do to help people out.”

She was called into one of four private cubicles.

At the other end of the mall, Irene Gleason was recruiting volunteers for the Red Cross and she said that she knows first-hand how important donating blood can be.

“It keeps us alive,” she said. “I wouldn’t be here if people didn’t give blood. I got blood in 1980 — I was bleeding internally and it saved my life.”

In her cubicle, Hayduchok worked with a staff member to complete a computerized questionnaire about where she’d lived and her health history. They took her temperature and read her blood pressure, and then her finger was pricked so that her blood could be quickly tested for her hemoglobin level. Then Laura was led to a waiting gurney.

Laura and the technician chatted as the technician placed a rubber cuff on her upper left arm and examined the vein inside Laura’s elbow. The technician moved the cuff to Laura’s right arm and they looked at that vein. Then, they went back to the left arm and settled there.

Laura was given a small ball to squeeze in her left hand as the technician opened a sterile packet and took out a set of clear plastic bags and tubes and laid them on the gurney beside her. The technician swabbed Laura’s arm and assembled the tubing. She pulled the bags apart and then bound them as a set with rubber bands and labeled them with tags. She also labeled six small vials.

Laura lay patiently, looking up at the ceiling.

The Red Cross has two to three blood drives a month in Lansing. They collect 32 pints of regular blood from 32 donors, and process 5 donors through special donations for red cells (apheresis donations) that can take up to an hour and a half.

Irene recommends that donors drink plenty of water beforehand to speed up the donation process. The Red Cross adds that donors should wear comfortable clothes and eat iron-rich foods to boost their iron levels. Donors should bring their identification, a list of any medications they are taking, and a friend and fellow donor.

Back at the gurney, the technician used a hand-held device to scan the labels on the six vials, hung the bundle of bags on a hook below the gurney, and draped the tubes over Laura’s lower arm. The technician pushed gently on Laura’s vein and then marked the spot with a blue rectangle. She swabbed the rectangle and the area around it thoroughly, all the while speaking quietly to Laura. Then, the technician checked her watch, wrote on the label, and gently slid the needle into Laura’s vein.

“I don’t think that there is a bad part,” Laura said. “There’s a mild pinch when the needle goes in. It’s not even like a needle prick. When the blood is flowing, I can feel the tape on my arm, but not the needle. I just lie here and listen to the music and try not to move my arm.”

There were 17 donors at a blood drive on Saturday and 16 pints of blood were donated. That blood was packed on ice in boxes and sent to the American Red Cross in West Henrietta to be processed. The blood was spun in a centrifuge to separate the red cells, platelets, and plasma and then tested a dozen times. The platelets can be stored for five days; the red cells for 42 days; and the plasma can be frozen for a year.

One pint of blood can save up to three lives.

I saw Laura in the mall afterwards — she was going to do some shopping, I think. She said that she loves living here in upstate New York. Based on her schedule, she should be back at the blood drive in about four months.

There will be a Red Cross blood drive on Saturday at The Shops at Ithaca Mall from 1 to 6 p.m. Call 1-800 RED CROSS or visit http://redcrossblood.org to make your life-saving appointment today.

Youth soccer benefit

Registrations are still being accepted for the "Strong As Heck" soccer tournament taking place at the Lansing Town Fields on Monday. Get a maximum of eight players together for a great day of 5-on-5 soccer. This tournament is for grades 3-10. Tournament play starts at 8 a.m., and teams are guaranteed three 25-minute games, followed by tournament play. A portion of the proceeds raised will be donated to the Adam Heck Fund.

Flyers and registration forms are available at the Lansing Town Hall, on the Lansing Soccer Facebook page or by contacting Coach Benjamin Parkes (strongasheck16@gmail.com), and any questions should be directed to either of those options. Teams should hand in completed forms for each player signed by a parent or guardian. Please register by Friday.

Lansing soccer BBQ

Come out and support the Varsity Boys soccer program with their chicken BBQ fundraiser on Monday at the Lansing Town Fields. Dave Hatfield Catering will be grilling up his famous chicken, salt potatoes and baked beans. While you are at the 5-on-5 tournament, stop by and grab some chicken. The barbecue runs from 11 a.m. until sold out.

Peace prayer service

"An Evening Prayer for Peace" will take place at All Saints Church in Lansing on Oct. 16 at 6 p.m. The guest speaker will be Martha Hennessy, the granddaughter of Dorothy Day. The service is open to all, and will be followed by a soup supper.

Kiosk at Salt Point

Join the Salt Point Volunteers at Salt Point in Lansing on Oct. 16 from 2 to 4 p.m. to celebrate the opening of our new informational kiosk. Built from community donations and prepared by a dedicated group of volunteers, the kiosk shares the historical and natural story of this unique, 34-acre area on the shore of Cayuga Lake. The educational panels on the new kiosk cover Salt Point’s history, geology, plants, birds and other wildlife.

The open-house style celebration will include brief talks from community leaders on the history and nature found at Salt Point, a photo display, ribbon cutting, refreshments and more. Volunteer representatives will be on hand to answer questions and hear community input.

Salt Point, just north of Myers Park off Myers Road, is managed by the Town of Lansing Parks and Recreation Department and the Friends of Salt Point group of volunteers. For more information, see http://www.saltpointlansing.org.

Matthew Montague writes Lansing Town Talk for The Ithaca Journal. News and notes should be sent to lansingtowntalk@gmail.com.